KPTO Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan Analysis

Executive Summary

The source of information which was critically examined and presented in this document was referred to the Te Mahere Rautaki o Kia Piki te Ora Strategic Plan and Final Report of Kia Piki Te Ora (KPTO) Suicide Prevention Program Evaluation for the Ministry of Health which contacted the Kāhui Tautoko Consulting Limited (KTCL) to draw a variety of data sources in order to give attention on questions about what KPTO brings and what are the effects established through its approaches and actions on Maori people across the 9 Regions. The data collected where critically examined and the Scriven-Davidson Key Evaluation Checklist serves as a guide.

The KPTO program evaluation centers on process and impact evaluation questions wherein the parts reflected on what are the services and the way each provider deliberated, distributed and monitored activities in agreement with KPTO Accountability Structure and the ‘All Age’ Suicide Prevention System Logic Model, the impact attained in communities and the significance contributed to Maori people suicide prevention, the KPTO cultural proficiency and the KPTO strong points and its areas for improvements.

Purpose

In year 2006, the KPTO involved all range of ages in the prevention program to address suicide rates focusing on Maori people. The activities involve ethnic approaches that were founded from the recognized cultural practice models appropriate for Maori suicide prevention and service distribution (Kahui Tautoko Consulting Limited, 2014).

The goal of KPTO program is to enhance the psychological and welfare status of Maori and involve engagement in communities as well as target the decrease of access to methods of suicide and helped to lessen the damaging effects linked to suicide or suicidal tendencies with the family, friends and in community (Ministry of Health, 2013).

The KPTO program evaluation wanted to discover in many ways the program providers helped on the suicide prevention in each respective community. The evaluation also looks on issues or parts that need further attention.

Clarity

The KPTO program has its purpose of promoting the psychological health and welfare of Maori people giving them the highest concern of the program, as part of achieving this, there are services provided through a wide-ranging of mental health endorsement undertakings and agencies partnerships.

The KPTO’s plan of lessening the availability to the means of suicide has been given concerned by establishing policies and guidelines in collaboration with local councils and learning institutions.  However, according to Kahui Tautoko Consulting Limited (2014), there was a deprived of evidences that will support this objective in the 9 regions.

In order to address the effect of suicide to families, friends and in the community, the KPTO has diverse strategies to address this objective in working with the government organizations and community groups depending on how they assess the needs of the Maori to provide suitable services. KPTO not just provided awareness on suicide but also responding on suicide crisis as well as promoting a joint effort in health promotion program and mental health services, and also encouraging schools to give more attention on bullying and the action of the police to occurrences of crisis (Kahui Tautoko Consulting Limited, 2014).

The Ministry of Health funded the Kia Piki Te Ora Suicide Prevention Program in 9 regions to support and maintain the activities to prevent suicide mainly to the regions where there is an increased need of the services (Ministry of Health, 2015).

Accuracy of evaluation/audit

In order to conduct an evaluation, collection of data from various sources is important, and doing such creates and enhances the evaluation questions. It includes conducting a review of the KPTO project plans, assessing the reports and files made available by the Ministry of Health. Looking at the KPTO designed plans, reviewing and examination of reports and relevant documents helps gather more important information essential in the evaluation.

The KPTO program created a positive effect in communities where it functioned particularly relating to the promotion of the shared responsibility in endorsing the suicide prevention undertakings. It was achieved due to the strong partnership with different agencies and collaboration with the community in each region and was evidenced by the responses from the families and stakeholders wherein the nine regional sites are visited and interviewed the program staffs ad stakeholders. However, those who could not attend the interview was still able to respond on the online survey organized which was completed by the representative from DHBs, Maori and social service providers, other private associations and police department (Kahui Tautoko Consulting Limited, 2014).

Significance of findings

The KPTO program service providers have shown that there are different approaches to deliver the services which contributed to the prevention of suicide in each community. The outcomes enable to present the KPTO’s strong points, identified issues or parts that need attention and a way for improvement. The KPTO service providers along with the key stakeholders have strongly made an effort to collaborate for significant partnership and encouraged agencies to give more attention on suicide prevention and promoting more activities and programs in all 9 regions.  The result has brought a positive impact on rendering KPTO health services (Kahui Tautoko Consulting Limited, 2014).

KPTO service distribution in nine regions concentrated on whānau ora (family health) and whānau welfare. It has been known in 4 locations that this priority was purposely line up in Government’s Maori family health approach where applied in planning and delivery of the program which evidently shows an effective Maori community engagement (MOH, 2013).

However, there are identified concerns in the delivery of the program. The KPTO providers have known to work that is not within the KPTO’s scope which the stakeholders have expected for them to do so and also, the program providers have difficulty to reach all areas in an outsized region fairly. With this finding, it is necessary to make clear of the coordinator’s duty which is to perform as facilitator in a community to endorse health promotion, not as the first to respond on suicide emergencies. And for the large geographical regions, the challenges are related to the limited resources, human capability and the length of transportation which must have been given attention (Kahui Tautoko Consulting Limited, 2014).

Most of the KPTO program providers strongly carry out activity design in line thoroughly to the Accountability Structure and the All Age Suicide Program Logic Model. It was evidently shown that the program providers acquire understanding of projected distribution and undertakings that need to be attained yearly and also they correspondingly reported properly in every month and every six month period, also they continue to document the particular assessments of their actions wherein these reports is used to update upcoming activity plans (MOH, 2010).

Insights

The success of a program depends on many factors such as the way it was planned, delivered, funded, and effort made by the management and staffs. As for the KPTO program, it reflects the effectiveness of its role in contributing to the mental health of the intended recipients of the program as evidence by number of activities and collaboration with the organizations to prioritize suicide prevention (Kahui Tautoko Consulting Limited, 2014). With this evaluation, it shows that the management and staffs play an important part in attaining the objectives of the program. They are the one on hand with the delivery of the activities and along with the influence of the stakeholders creating a strong effort to endorse the program in organizations.

The stability of the staffs and coordinators in providing the services greatly helped in the program as for its continuity in the delivery of activities and acquired more experience in the community. Majority of the providers have rendered services to the community which enable them to work collaboratively with agencies in each region. Also, it is significant in achieving objectives to be involved in the celebration of the main recipients (Maori in KPTO program) for example the Waitangi Day and also often conduct events in gathering places. With this evaluation, it presents verified realization that a program’s coordinator was able to work effectively when participated in strategic meetings which allowed them to voice out in decision-making, and a good communication is a way to promote sharing of essential information and designing policies. It is also important to note the responds of the recipients on the program delivery to greatly determine its impact and contribution in achieving objectives (Kahui Tautoko Consulting Limited, 2014).

The program which is mainly intended for Maori presented a competent cultural approach which serves as the strength of the program and because of this, it permits the providers to promote the welfare of the Maori based on the applicable way within their culture, with such, the program is accepted and suits with the Maori culture (McNeill, 2009). That is why, a program that considers the proper way in adjusting to the needs of the recipients will likely become acknowledged and succeeds.

References

Davidson, E.J. (2005). Evaluation Methodology Basics: The Nuts and Bolts of Sound Evaluation. Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks, CA. pp.6-7.

Kahui Tautoko Consulting Limited (2014). Kia Piki te Ora Suicide Prevention Programme Evaluation Final Report. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

McNeill, H. N. (2009). Maori models of mental wellness.

Ministry of Health (2010). Paper for the Ministerial Committee on Suicide Prevention: Māori Suicide Prevention. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

Ministry of Health (2015). Kia Piki te Ora Suicide Prevention Programme Evaluation Final Report.

Ministry of Health (2013). Te Mahere Rautaki o Kia Piki te Ora. Wellington: Ministry of Health.